bashingEd

TS:EPISODE8 — Toward an Open Source classroom

Perhaps you’re just hearing about it and you’re using OpenOffice. Or, perhaps, you’ve heard that you can have good software without paying a dime for it. Better still, what does all this have to do with what happens in the classroom?

Listen to the episode here or on the TalkShoe badge on the right side of the page.

Show notes:
Sorry about the quality of the recording, I’m working on a better sound.

Products/Sites mentioned at the beginning of the podcast:

  • Flickr (a photo-sharing site) is now allowing for video to be uploaded (up to 90 sec.)
  • Livewires: If you are looking for a good programming language to teach to kids, you may consider Python (OpenSource and very much used all over). A solid teaching series comes from our friends in the U.K. called “livewires.”
  • Flock — The “social” browser (it’s build on Firefox code) which is getting better and better, is a nice “one-stop” integration with the major social sites on the web (including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and even gMail).

Probably the more popular FOSS programs known in the “mainstream”:
Use OpenOffice.orgOpenOffice (a complete office suite | like MS Office without the pricetag; interface is fairly easy to catch on to).
Firefox 2Firefox (a solid web browser that has taken over the browser market).
Gimp (an image editor that is like Adobe Photoshop in that it probably has more features than you really need).
Audacity (sound editor)

[and there’s lots of other programs. Here’s a few more: Thunderbird (email), Songbird (music library/listening), Miro (video library/listening), and Inkscape (illustration)]

Next week’s topic: “But can a computer dance?” (Should a computer be merely a tool or can it actually teach our students?)
printEpiTime(‘EpisodePopNextEpiTime’); Date and time: 04/15/2008 05:05 PM EDT (stop by and join the chat!)

You can always subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.

chris

2 responses to “TS:EPISODE8 — Toward an Open Source classroom”

  1. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    What’s your take on GoogleDocs? I find it to be fairly useful (it’s really three programs), and the word processor is pretty good, although more complex formatting isn’t possible. The collaboration aspect of it are very cool though. I worked on website copy with a friend of mine over the phone, and we were able to “watch” each other make changes. And, there’s version control built in.

    Reply
  2. vergil66 Avatar
    vergil66

    Dave,
    Oh, I’ve been using GoogleDocs almost exclusively for about a year now (since very few things I type require any complicated formatting tricks). I like the whole “web-based” office approach…it works for me. And for those who want a more “word processor” feel, Buzzword (acquired by Adobe recently) is absolutely wonderful.

    I didn’t mention any of the online tools because most of them are not FOSS. Also, those “Web2.0” tools require, well, access to the internet and not all schools are wired for that.

    Thanks for the reminder and I’ll probably do a show on the Web2.0 tools in the future.

    Peace.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *